Burden of depression and anxiety disorders per disease codes in patients with lymphoma in Germany

The aim of this study was to explore the incidence of depression and anxiety disorder diagnoses in a large German cohort of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) diagnoses in comparison to patients without cancer over a 10-year time frame.

Patients with HL (n=687) and NHL (n=4130) were matched to cohorts without a cancer diagnosis (n=687 and 4130) by age, sex, and yearly consultation frequency. The primary outcome of the study was the incidence of depression and anxiety disorders. The relationship between lymphoma, separated into HL and NHL, and both depression and anxiety disorders was investigated using Cox regression models.

We compared 687 patients with HL with 687 matched non-cancer individuals and 4130 patients with NHL with 4130 matched non-cancer individuals. Within 10 years of the index date, 24.0% of patients with HL and 22.3% of patients with NHL were diagnosed with depression. Anxiety disorders were diagnosed in 6.7% and 5.3% of patients with HL and NHL, respectively. On regression analyses, HL (HR 2.30, 95% CI 1.65-3.21, p<0.001) and NHL (HR 2.09, 95% CI 1.81-2.41, p<0.001) were positively associated with incident depression. The HR for anxiety disorders was 1.64 (95% CI 1.24-2.16, p<0.001) in patients with NHL, while HL was not associated with incident anxiety disorders (HR 1.21, 95% CI 0.71-2.07, p<0.478).

Lymphoma constitutes a risk factor for emerging depression and anxiety disorders. Following the diagnosis of lymphoma, screening and strategies to prevent the occurrence of these diseases seem warranted.